More reminders of the spill

Published: Thursday, November 10, 2011 at 9:12 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, November 10, 2011 at 9:12 a.m.

Tropical Storm Lee was the most-serious storm to threaten our region this year.

While the storm itself left us unscathed, it did churn up some troubling reminders of last year’s catastrophic oil spill.

An 8-mile section of Fourchon Beach saw tar balls wash up in the aftermath of the passing storm. The tar balls were broken off from giant mats of oil that remain buried beneath the sand offshore.

Because the tidal action of the water was so strong during the storm, it washed away the sand above the mats and broke them into smaller pieces, which were then washed ashore.

Anyone who has paid attention to the evolving story of BP’s tragic spill knows that oil was expected to remain, either suspended in the Gulf of Mexico or deposited on its shore.

So it was not surprising to see oil resurfacing in the wake of the storm.

What was a bit more surprising and troubling was that so much cleanup equipment, left behind after the company’s initial attempt to remove its oil from our Gulf and our beaches, washed up along with the oil.

The people of south Louisiana have a good reason to wonder if the cleanup now is taking place in the same manner. What is being left behind now that might not resurface until the next storm?

They can also rightly wonder why the company takes a full week to call in cleanup workers to respond to incidents such as this. BP said it had cleanup crews standing by before the oil washed up this time, but it took days for them to arrive and begin working.

The company has said it will be finished with the cleanup in the coming weeks, but what does that mean? Does it mean that our shores and beaches will be left in the same shape as they were last year — superficially clean but ready at any moment to spew up more ugly reminders of the spill?

Again, there is no way of telling.

All local residents can do is take BP at its word and assume that it is doing all it can to remove the vestiges of its spill.

With any luck, each progressive incident will be handled better and more professionally than the last and that eventually the spill’s lingering effects will be removed.

Unfortunately, there is no history of competent, thorough cleanup to use as a reason for that optimism.

Editorials represent the opinions of the newspaper, not of any individual.

<p>Tropical Storm Lee was the most-serious storm to threaten our region this year.</p><p>While the storm itself left us unscathed, it did churn up some troubling reminders of last year's catastrophic oil spill.</p><p>An 8-mile section of Fourchon Beach saw tar balls wash up in the aftermath of the passing storm. The tar balls were broken off from giant mats of oil that remain buried beneath the sand offshore.</p><p>Because the tidal action of the water was so strong during the storm, it washed away the sand above the mats and broke them into smaller pieces, which were then washed ashore.</p><p>Anyone who has paid attention to the evolving story of BP's tragic spill knows that oil was expected to remain, either suspended in the Gulf of Mexico or deposited on its shore.</p><p>So it was not surprising to see oil resurfacing in the wake of the storm.</p><p>What was a bit more surprising and troubling was that so much cleanup equipment, left behind after the company's initial attempt to remove its oil from our Gulf and our beaches, washed up along with the oil.</p><p>The people of south Louisiana have a good reason to wonder if the cleanup now is taking place in the same manner. What is being left behind now that might not resurface until the next storm?</p><p>They can also rightly wonder why the company takes a full week to call in cleanup workers to respond to incidents such as this. BP said it had cleanup crews standing by before the oil washed up this time, but it took days for them to arrive and begin working.</p><p>The company has said it will be finished with the cleanup in the coming weeks, but what does that mean? Does it mean that our shores and beaches will be left in the same shape as they were last year — superficially clean but ready at any moment to spew up more ugly reminders of the spill?</p><p>Again, there is no way of telling.</p><p>All local residents can do is take BP at its word and assume that it is doing all it can to remove the vestiges of its spill.</p><p>With any luck, each progressive incident will be handled better and more professionally than the last and that eventually the spill's lingering effects will be removed.</p><p>Unfortunately, there is no history of competent, thorough cleanup to use as a reason for that optimism.</p><p>Editorials represent the opinions of the newspaper, not of any individual.</p>